E-Cigarette Smoking Tied to Later Marijuana Use in Teens

TUESDAY, Aug. 14, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Teenagers’ use of any tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), is associated with subsequent marijuana use, according to a study published in the August issue of Pediatrics.

Janet Audrain-McGovern, Ph.D., from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues examined whether adolescent e-cigarette, hookah, or combustible cigarette use is associated with initiating and currently using marijuana. Students from 10 public schools in Los Angeles were surveyed at baseline in ninth grade (Fall 2013) and at 24 month-follow-up in 11th grade (Fall 2015). Associations were examined among the 2,668 adolescents who had never used marijuana at baseline.

The researchers found that baseline ever versus never e-cigarette use was associated with initiation (odds ratio [OR], 3.63) and current (OR, 3.67) marijuana use at 24-month follow-up. Similarly, ever hookah use was associated with initiation (OR, 3.55) and current (OR, 4.1) marijuana use 24 months later versus never use. Similar associations were seen for combustible cigarette smoking and initiation (OR, 4.3) and current use of marijuana (OR, 1.97). Current use of any of the tobacco products at baseline was associated with current use of both tobacco and marijuana at follow-up (OR, 2.28).

“The association between tobacco use and subsequent marijuana use across adolescence extends to multiple tobacco products,” the authors write.